Several years back, I had the pleasure of watching Dan Cobley’s TED Talk, “What physics taught me about marketing.” In this talk, Cobley illustrates how physics and the scientific method can be applied to marketing principles.

As marketer and fan of the great Sir Isaac Newton, Cobley’s talk inspired me to explore how Newton’s Three Laws of Motion could help explain brand growth and marketing success. I adapted these three laws specifically to my experience, and at my agency, we call them our “Three Laws of Marketing.”

The First Law Of Marketing: Apply Force

Based on Newton’s formula (force equals mass times acceleration), the first law of marketing is the application of force. How do we apply force? We strike early and strike often, which we call “start fast – fail fast.” Agencies often tend to come up with elaborate campaigns that require months of planning, only to find out that the strategy was wrong in the first place. However, by coming out of the gate strong, we can dive in and begin to move the needle quickly for our clients.